Council designates rural settlements as towns for purposes of planning considerations in bid to maintain integrity of Green Belt

The Government’s revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) introduced a distinction between ‘towns’ and ‘villages’ but without defining either.

Places deemed to be towns can retain green belts to prevent urban sprawl, but this does not apply to villages, where it could become problematic for the council to refuse development applications.

A cabinet report by Perry Wardle, director of economy and infrastructure, said the largest rural settlements of Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath and also Balsall Common should be defined as towns in a new rural settlement hierarchy.

Addressing the legal implications, the report said these settlements were designated as villages in the 2013 local plan and while this remained the starting point for considering planning applications, “other material considerations should be taken into account when determining respective applications”.

The report explained: “The council has sought legal advice on this matter and is advised that given the change in national context relating to the specific issue of town/village in considering Green Belt policy, the council is justified in having regard to other material considerations that may justify departing from the respective references in the local plan.

“The work undertaken on reviewing the settlement hierarchy to support the development of the new local plan can be considered a material consideration and is intended to help inform the ongoing assessment of relevant planning applications.”

In an explanation to local residents of the council’s actions, deputy leader and cabinet member for managed growth Ian Courts said Solihull was “under siege from developers trying to get planning permission for their sites”.

He noted planning guidance had changed and now said green belt land must be used to help meet housing need and had also introduced the concept of a ‘grey belt’ - land not considered to make a strong contribution to preventing unrestricted sprawl and preventing towns from merging.

Cllr Courts said: “Whilst the Government have issued guidance around this subject, there will still be scope for this to be debated through the plan-making process and when planning applications are determined.

“However, the council will do what it can, and this has included looking again at the settlement hierarchy of settlements in the rural area, in particular which are towns and which are villages.”

Mark Smulian